Lark Sparrows are birds of south-eastern Alberta, rarely being found very much west of a line through Lethbridge to the Drumheller area or very much north of the Red Deer River. Even within this area they can be very local in distribution. They like river valleys with steep, clay cliffs and the coulees running into them, shrubby badland habitat, and other locations with grass and scattered trees or shrubs on poor or sandy soils. Breeding areas include the Red Deer, South Saskatchewan, Old Man, and Milk River valleys. They are quite content to share space with humans if the habitat is right, and will nest near farmhouses and in villages.

Lark Sparrows migrate into Alberta from their wintering grounds in the south-western United States and Mexico in May, and migrate south again in August and September. They are absent from Alberta in the winter.

Foraging is usually done on the ground. In spring and summer the bulk of their diet is insects, including grasshoppers and crickets; in fall and winter they eat mostly seeds.

Nests are usually constructed in a depression on the ground, concealed under low vegetation; but occasionally it can be in a shrub as much as two metres or more off the ground. Grass is the dominant material, with a lining of fine grass and hair. A typical clutch is 3 to 5 creamy white eggs with dark brown and black markings. Incubation takes 11 to 13 days, and the young leave the nest after 9 to 10 days.

Hi Rick!
Lovely picture of a Lark Sparrow I am seeing for the first time.
The colour of the crumbling rock matches with the colour of the bird. The plain BG, probably of a foggy atmosphere, supports the subject and its perch in a splendid manner.
Thanks and regards.
Ram

Fabulous clean and simple image here of this Lark Sparrow my good friend Rick, well exposed under the unfavourable light conditions, lovely colour tones, splendid neutral out of focus background, and a big wow for the overall composition, congrats Rick and have a nice day,
Best regards,

Hallo Rick,
what a beautiful capture of the Lark Sparrow on a fantastic rock, very good sharpness and splendid natural colours, excellent point of view and background in a very harmonious composition
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

Rick you have nice detail here, good exposure under less then ideal light. Learning to use fill flash would improve this image remarkably. The perch is a little overwhelming for a small bird which results in a lot of dead space on the left of frame. The background (BG) is wonderful and it's good to see you using nice bokeh on that fine 600mm lens which is a excellent attribute of it. I am going to go out on a limb and guess this was a grab shot, which in it's self is fine. A well planned set up shot can yield better results.